No refunds. In the event of rain, show will go on indoors at the same location. Seating is first come, first served. Physical seats are limited. This means you may not get a chair. no alcohol is permitted.

At Rooftop, we have always envisioned our Opening Night show as a rebellion against stale cinematic forms and status quo stories. This year, revolution is in the air, and our programming crests the top of the upheaval.

Following the year of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street, the world seems poised on a precipice, unsure whether to fall backward or leap into the void. Rooftop’s 2012 selections call boldly for a radical new future. History is being written and re-written, the filmmakers and people of the world are ready to act, and the time is forever now. As the torch-bearing rioters seen here will tell you, “If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes. And if you don’t wait…”

-Mark Elijah Rosenberg

THE FILMS

Follow the Sun (MK12 | USA | 4 min.)A classic visit to the refreshment stand before we begin our mind-bending year of revolution.

Aaron Burr, Part 2 (Dana O’Keefe | USA | 8 min.)An American revolutionary updates his place in history in this radically inventive and modern bio-pic. Shown in 2012.

More Than Winning (Nick Fox-Gieg | Toronto, Canada | 3 min.)"They gave me a gun, a pick, and a hand grenade, and said 'Win at any cost,' and I said 'Right.' There's nothing I love more than winning..." From a story by Susan Murray.

A Brief History of John Baldessari (Henry Joost | USA | 6 min.)An American icon breaks down the nitty-gritty of his place in history in a dashing documentary narrated by Tom Waits.

Matter Fisher (David Prosser | 8 min.)A man goes out fishing. He should have taken a bigger boat.

9:21:25 (Jyoty Mistry | USA | 10 min.)An extraordinary documentary about a South African entrepreneur who takes a ten-day trip into outer space and discovers a poetic nothingness that fills him with understanding.

MUSIC

Crinkles"These guys make music I would listen to in my home or on my headphones for pleasure. There's a lot to be said for that, especially since these songs don't ever succomb to the cheap tricks or half-truths to get in your ears. That's what I call style!

Crinkles do dreamy jangle pop, their hazy hooks comparable to those of acts like Real Estate and Youth Lagoon. Originally from Burlington, VT, the five-piece -- featuring Jonathan Campolo, Nicholas Campolo, Daniel Crosby, Kyle Kabel, and Andrew Chugg -- moved to Brooklyn in 2009. Since then, they've amassed a number of tracks, many of which are on their debut full-length entitled Loss Leader." - BreakThru Radio

Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.